Inquisition of the Pacifist
Synopsis A new evil has arrived in Karakura Town, this Dorothy and her army move unseen by the watchful eyes of its guardians, plotting their schemes. Hiroya Ginkarei is just one of Karakura's residential Shinigami, working as a teacher at a preschool. Dorothy has set her sights on unbeknowst to to this rogue, and will stop at nothing to achieve her diabolical goals. Type: Character Introduction, Drama, Light Combat Characters *Dorothy Furlan da Liberi - Main character *Aurora Vespera - Side character *Hiroya Ginkarei - Main character *Boolg - Appearance *Michael Valoel Armstrong - Appearance Initial Report Ever since she traveled to Japan, Dorothy had taken a particular interest in Karakura Town. It was a rarity for her kind to find spiritually aware beings, but a town full of them? Well, that just meant she was going to have a lot of fun. But first she needed information, so naturally that task fell to Aurora, who had begun by scanning the local schools first. It was a natural choice, schools often had the greatest concentration of individuals, very little security, and children were particularly ripe for corruption given the proper motivation. Upon Aurora's report, she found herself very interested in a particular pre-school. There had been traces of a high amounts of spiritual energy, scattered around. Aurora's initial findings couldnt determine who exactly they belonged to, and she was oh so distraught, that she volunteered to search their herself. And so little Aurora was off. Deadmans Gaze Inside the classroom, children were bustling about, laughing cheerfully as they played the odd little games with their sensei. The teacher himself could only feel the warm sense of contentment as he looked upon their glowing faces, oblivious to the real dangers of the world. But something had been nagging him, all day, it felt like he was being...watched. Normally he would have made some excuse to leave to investigate the matter further, but for whatever reason the presence seemed to vanish just as quickly as it came. He ignored it for now, as it was obvious that whoever it was, had no intention of attacking at this time. No sense in stirring up trouble if he could avoid it. As the day passed, and class was coming to a close, his gaze swept across the children, when he picked up something on his peripheral. Ruby red eyes, cold, unfeeling and desolate as death itself peered beyond the veil of glass. The image of a young pale skinned girl with straight black hair burned into his retina. It had happened so suddenly he blinked, and in the next instant, she was gone, and so too was that nagging feeling he had felt the entire day. He now had proof. Someone or...something was definately watching him. Hiroya began to feel slightly uneasy, though he couldn't let the children pick up on this. He continued the game, and the odd girl in the glass was soon banished from his conciousness; the pale face drowning the laughter of content children. Though, just to be safe - he wove around him some protective spells. One could never be too careful these days. Boy, was it hard to feel ill at ease when you were sorrounded by happy children. --- Aurora had confirmation now, he was the undoubtedly origin of the spiritual energy. Though she had spent the better part of the day having her astral projections scour the premises for information, her efforts had finally paid off. Only question now was, what to do with it? Well she had his attention, now she only had to force him to act. After class was over, Aurora had dismissed her other projections, leaving one on the school grounds, while the other chose a random student from that man's class, a young girl, with lightly tanned skin and dark brown hair. She had left in a hurry to meet with her parents. Yes, she would make a suitable host for now. So her projection followed the girl, while the other at the school grounds, cast another spell to temporarily materialize itself, by resonating and collapsing the ambient spiritual energy to create a faux body - of a sort. She appeared in an empty stall in the bathroom, then exited into the hallway full of kids, and began heading in the direction of that man. --- Hiroya was waving goodbye to the children, before he suddenly hears light footsteps behind him. With a quick movement with his hands - everyone around them immedeatly freeze in their tracks; everyone but the odd girl and Hiroya himself that is. Hiroya slowly turns around, before his eyes widen in surprise as he realizes what the girl has done. "Spirit, please unhand my student this instant. I won't harm you if you do so. Please?" Hiroya folds his arms against his chest, attempting to look determined and serious - it fails horribly; his brilliantly blue eyes simply show too much worry: Definately not one to maintain a poker-face in these situations. The child before you - could this really be given the title of a child? Her eyes were no more than twin empty crimson voids, threatening to consume him whole. The silence was deafening, as minutes and hours seemingly passed by before she spoke. "Answer my questions," she began. "...and she will remain unharmed. Provoke me, and she will die, along with her family." You can't help but suppress a shiver under her gaze. The girl was completely and utterly inhuman. There wasnt a trace of anything even remotely akin to emotion within her eyes. Hiroya sighed softly, the unease ever-growing. He turns his attention back to the creature - his Reiryoku fluctuating slowly form side to side, billowing about him like gray mist, tendrils seeping along the ground. But it doesn't appear to be harmful, Hiroya nods slowly "Very well, I will answer your questions, creature" Nodding she begins, "Tell me the following in order; name, race, affiliation, and previous affiliation." she says roboticly. Hiroya seems befuddled for just a single moment before he speaks slowly: "Hiroya Ginkarei, Shinigami, Myself, if any.. and Soul Society" Aurora pauses as she considers this information. She hadn't met a Shinigami before, but at the moment it was imperative that she gain as much intelligence as possible. Considering he is an unknown, he could prove problematic to her mistresses plans. He would need to be investigated further to determine his exact capabilities. And there others to consider as well. With that in mind, the real Aurora, began focusing on the projection, tailing the little girl. It took only an instant and her projection quietly seeped into her mind, easily wrestling control of the body. Afterwards she established a spiritual connection to Dorothy, transmitting the information she had just received. It took a moment for her to receive her next order. --- Dorothy was just giddy with delight. A Shinigami, here!? She could scarcely believe it. Hmm, so many opportunities for enjoyment. Now all she had to do was have Aurora set the stage, and then the real fun would begin. --- "Why are you concealing yourself and your location." she asked suddenly. Hiroya pondered for a moment, before he spoke "I left Soul Society some centuries ago, and since then I've been bothered by their people; whom want to capture me and bring me back in order to strip me of my Spiritual Power. Is that a good enough answer for you?" Hiroya folds his hands across his chest, noticeably getting slightly suspicious, but clearly he knows his position well enough not to do something drastic. --- Hmm, interesting. Dorothy thought. So he's a runaway. Well then that makes this all the more fun. I just can't wait to see him squirm! With that she began the next phase of her plan, instructing Aurora to finish up and return. Her eyes lose focus for a brief second, before the color returns. She answers monotonously with, "Come to the children's playground by the school at midnight. If you try to save the girl before then, she dies." Without waiting for a response, the girl seems to dissipate into spiritual particles. Hiroya walked inside the playground; he was wearing a high-collared white shirt underneath a dark-green jacket, as well as dark pants; some would mistake this get-up as Hiroya being on his way to a date. The playground empty, and the wind played with the objects; producing a creepy sound. He looked around for the girl from earlier, eyebrows furrowed in deep suspicion. Depths of Insanity The dry, decaying leaves of fall crack and crumble beneath his feet as he takes his path towards the playground. A brisk wind shakes the barren branches of the nearby trees, eliciting a haunting moan and a clatter of noise that gives way to empty silence. As the man arrives, he hears a sound, which snaps his attention towards its source. The rusted chains of the swing set creak and groan as an oddly dressed woman sways back and forth. Her appearance is strange to say the least, as her dress reminds you of a Victorian schoolgirl. However its apparent that she isn't completely human, given the strange wing-like protrusions coming out of her back. As opposed to feathers or even a skin-like membrane there are instead crystal prisms, with a dim soft glow. She seems oddly at ease, and smiles devilishly as your eyes meet. "Hello Hiroya-sensei," she says mockingly. She seems to take a moment to appraise you, her slittted eyes shifting up and down examining your body. "...I'm surprised you came. But then, I've always found human sentimentality to be quite a motivator, wouldn't you agree?" she says as she continues swinging. "Shall we play a game?" Hiroya approaches her slowly, as he frowns somewhat "I'd rather you released my student first, I can play with you afterwards if it is so importsnt for you" Hiroya's Spritual Power flared in intensity - despite how it may look. He's clearly come here in his Shinigami form. Hiroya mutters again "Then again. You don't really have to put my students in danger if all you want is to play a game, I'm usually up for it anyhow, what kind of game did you have in mind?" Hiroya's voice softens somewhat at the few lasy syllables, sincerely curious. The woman seems amused by your answer, swinging cheerfully for a few moments. "In that case, I know just the game!" she says enthusiastically. Leaping off of the swing, she grabs hold of the nearest strut, effortlessly wrenching it up in the air. She then proceeds to slam it back onto the ground to shake off the loose chunks of dirt, and hurls the entire structure at Hiroya as she gleefully yells, "Lets try Hide N Sneak!" Hiroya's eyes widen in surprise as he vanishes all but a moment before the structure would make contact - Reappearing behind Dorothy, as six rods of light appears around her; attempting to slam into her midesction so as to prevent further movement: Hiroya's mastery of Kido making it especially potent; Hiroya's by no means done with this though, as his first spell is followed up by another one immedeatly: Thick golden chains are conjured around Dorothy's figure, aiming to secure themselves tightly around her arms and chest; the sheer force of the spell would most likely be cause of great discomfort indeed. Hiroya's undouptly acknowledged her immense strength, and has thus prepared his spells accordingly. "Mmm, I always love a little bondage." she says erotically. Though inwardly Dorothy was surprised by the strength of the spell. She recognized the spell, and had immediately tried to break it through brute strength but found her efforts fruitless. I'll have to loosen the magical bonds first. In that case.... she thought. The woman had remained surprisingly calm, eyes closed in concentration as an aura began to form. Hiroya could easily identify it as a protection spell, specifically against fire? As the second binding spell came into effect, her back arched as she cried out in pain....or was it pleasure? Her grin probably indicated the latter. Her spiritual energy spiked, as the heat began to rapidly increase in the general vicinity. Dorothy turned her head, bones cracking as her turned nearly 180 degrees, before smiling in a cheshire grin. Hiroya recognized the spell; Shakkahō (赤火砲, Red Fire Cannon), but its power was drastically increased, evident by the deafening explosion that burst from her person, a column of fire nearly ten meters wide erupting into the sky with fury of a volcano. Whether this Shinigami evaded or used a barrier, his concentration was elsewhere, and the binding spells were certainly going to be disrupted from the explosion. Her magic had protected..mostly from her own attack, but any superficial burns left began to rapidly regenerate, as her smoked skin knitted itself back together. Obscured from view by the smoldering smoke, and hidden in the crater, she used this as an opportunity to break free from her restraints, ripping them apart with great show of raw strength and began casting her next spell. Hiroya, surprised as he were by the sheer power of her spell, proceeded to weave certain protective enchantments about his person - so as to be able to gauge the strength of her next spell; the spells included were powerful and he had knitted them tightly around him. Hiroya closed his eyes for concentration as he vanished once more; a tearing sound is heard as the air rushes to replace the empty space left behind in his wake. He reappears a good ten yards away from Dorothy's current position readying himself for the spell which is to come. His skin glimmering like small diamonds as the moon reflects in the reflective surfaces of his spells. A hand raised out towards the chanting Sorceress; just incase he'd need some extra protection against the spell to come. No counterattack? Hmm, so the little Shinigami is a defensive fighter then. Well, lets give him something to fight about it! With that Dorothy flickered from her position, leaping through the smoke appearing in the air by the school. "Are you as good at defending others as you are yourself?" she says mysteriously. "Lets put that to the test shall we?" Her spell reaches finality, as it begins to manifest in her outstretched hand - an augmented Sōkatsui (蒼火墜, Blue Fire, Crash Down), but this version is completely unholy as flames; darker than the night, swirl about casting tints of faint blue and purple light across the playground. She adjusts her aim turning towards the school itself, grinning sadistically all the while watching for Hiroya's reaction, as hellish flames are unleashed. Hiroya moved quickly - He was in front of the school in but a few steps, as he points a finger towards the approaching blast of dark flames - and with a simple motion, he releases from the tip of his finger a thin wave of force; recognizable as the spell called Shō (衝, Japanese for Thrust) - though this version seems to be augmented far beyond belief, further evidenced as the discharge seems to shred its way trough Dorothy's spell: Disrupting it as it dissipates to either side; and even then, it continues straight for Dorothy's chest, unfazed by her previous spell. Hiroya himself being blasted some feet backwards by the sheer recyle of the blast. As his spell draws closer to Dorothy, Hiroya; quickly flicks his wrist in an elaborate gesture; as he mutters slowly, but highly audible "Shō, sen" (衝穿, Japanese for Thrust, Drill) - the force in the spell seems to rotate at high rates; gaining great momentum as it attembs to literally rip apart Dorothy's torso upon impact. Clearly Hiroya has no desire of staying on the defensive. After he's casted this spell, he smiles somewhat.. but his breathing has become somewhat heavier, the spell has undouptedly taken its toll on him; and he's forced to rely on his previous enchantments and his speed to defend against the next attack. Dorothy isn't the least bit surprised by his tactic, witnessing the spectacle before her with interest. Her flames roared against the howling winds caused by his spell, only to be overtaken as they dissipated into the night air. Instantly another spell formed around her, as she calculated the trajectory of the Sho spell, its speed and rotation all taken into account. She launched herself forward shifting her body ever so slightly. She spun around the spell, using its own rotational force to increase her own, as she began spinning forward at increasing speeds like a bullet, narrowly dodging it. She crashed into Hiroya's defensive barrier, tearing through it like a drill, as cracks formed before crumbling like glass. With his barrier out of the way, Dorothy began her next attack, unleashing a rapid flurry of punches, as she tried to capitalize on his weakened state. There was no finesse nor any grace as her fists rained down upon him with the fury of a wild beast. Hiroya, unable to avoid these attacks is hit straight on by all of them - the last punch sending him several yards away, and trough furniture; luckily for him though, the protective enchantments that wove around his person seem to have taken care of most of the damage; Hiroya recovers, though just barely. This is no good, if I take more of those hits I'll be a goner, luckily for me though, I don't really have to. ''Hiroya unsheathes his sealed Zanpakuto, before he speaks slowly:'' "Please, soar up into the sky, Shirohane" the blade immedeatly disperses into a cascade of white feathers, which proceed to swirl about his being. Hiroya, with only a few steps relocates himself at Dorothy's side. As he attembs to release another Shō 'spell straight for her exposed side - aiming to hurl her many yards away, and possibly cause tremendous collaterral damage; Hiroya's feathers catching up with him quickly, ready to defend against possible attacks. Dorothy could hardly contain her glee, as she eagerly watched Hiroya release his Zanpakutou. Any barriers or concealment magic he had cast to mask it were certainly now gone. ''Yes, everything is going according to plan. she thought. As Hiroya's spiritual pressure drastically increased, Dorothy quickly weaved a high level cloaking spell, one used to mimic that of your opponent, at least at long range that is. Those close enough would be able to detect the ruse, but it would suffice for now. She too had been holding back during the fight, using only low-level magic, but now that the Shinigami was getting serious, it was time to demonstrate her own power. The ground cracked beneath her feet as the winds screeched and groaned. Heat began rolling in waves, radiating from her person like a thick mist. An unholy power flared to life, plants withered and decayed, the earth blackened and the very moon itself shone with crimson light. With her true powers now at her disposal, Dorothy didn't even bother to dodge the spell. At pointblank range however it had lost none of its power during flight, the air detonating in a shockwave as the ground exploded into dust and debris. Dorothy was thrown across the playground, her body crashing multiple times leaving craters meters deep in her wake. Finally after crashing through a tree, her broken body lays prone. Limbs were twisted in violent positions, and a gaping fist-sized hole on the left side of her torso. Disturbingly the body began to twitch, as the woman moved to a standing position. The previously broken limbs shifted themselves back into place with sickening cracks, as her skin and very clothing knit itself back together. Within seconds she had returned to normal, a feral grin adorned on her face, as eyes the color of blood glowed ominously under the darkness. Her hands rose dramatically as she spoke in a commanding voice, '''"Amor Labyrinthos". There was a moment of silence, before fire roared to life, its energy emanating outward forming a complex magical sigil beneath her, expanding outwards several meters in diameter. A dozen balls of fiery liquid sprang into existence, and with a wave of her hand unleashed the onslaught upon the Shinigami, as they streaked through the air erratically. Hiroya arches an eyebrow upon seeing this spell - he had never seen anything like it before. He watched it closely as it was cast, and only when it was halfway to hit him did he at last react; "Danku, Kakuchu" (斷空角柱, Japanese for Splitting Void, Prism) - seven round Danku shields are instantly conjured up in a perfect prism like-shape around his person - before the prism, and Hiroya himself are swallowed up by the barrage of fiery orbs... ..When at last the attack has ceased, the smoke dissipates to reveal that his barrier still holds, albeit only barely; Hiroya himself appears, though unharmed to have been forced to burn quite a lot of energy in order to defend himself from Dorothy's last attack. Regrettable Means to an End Right, I barely managed to surrive there.. looks like I'm going to have to use one of those, and I used one so recently too.. well, if this fails. I'll have no alternative but to use.. that. Hiroya ceased his train of thought with a shudder, he couldn't use something like that h- no, he wouldn't think about it. This last spell would work, it HAD to. Hiroya raises his arms up in front of himself, his blue eyes failing to mask his worry and his great dislike of the situation; Hiroya speaks, his voice soft and serene, but yet fully audible in the night: "O Starless sky.. bless us with but a single ray of light; as we divide this into five.." his clothes shaping into his Shinigami outfit, to prove that he unleashes the maximum of his potential; the folds of his Shikkusho billowing out in the air "Virtue, Virginity, Truth, Compassion and Hope!" Five beams of white light seems to criss-cross themselves around Dorothy; guided by Hiroya's last sentence, his words echoing from the sorroundings "Gather together as one, and smite this Zealot with the weight of her past sins!" A flash of light, the barely audible flutter of wings resound; as the five beams of white light finally coalesce into a White Pentagram, being shaped around Dorothy's waist; aiming to completely immobilize her and likely; due to the sheer shape of the spell, have dire after-effects as well. There seems to be a short interval between the finish of the incantation, and the state where the spell has fully formed into the Pentacle. Hiroya's breathing has become noticeably much more hurried and raspy, obviously this spell has taken an immense toll on him; as it well should. Its as Dorothy would perhaps see it; highly improbable that he'll be able to continue fighting if she succeeds in dodging this. Dorothy's eyes widen a fraction as she recognizes the magical symbol etched onto his spell. A pentagram? Hmm, given his desperation, I doubt it was deliberate, but it seems I must concede for now. The spell comes into effect as Dorothy remains binded by the spells magic. Yet she doesn't seem the least bit worried. In fact her expression is as if her victory is assured. End Game "You finally caught me!" she says cheerfully. "But you still need to catch the other four if you want to win this game." she added mysteriously. Hiroya's eyes widened in confusion, what was she talking about? Dorothy sensed his confusion and continued, "Of course there are other players! We were willing to target one of your students Hiroya-sensei. What made you think we wouldn't go after any others?" she says laughing as the gravity of the situation finally dawns on the Shinigami. Hiroya speaks, his tune almost desperate: "What do you want then, Spirit?" Damn her, and damn himself - he shouldn't have been so naive; but he always had difficulties when it came to comprehending that some people would willingly harm children. ''Hiroya mumbled in annoyance, contemplating wether or not he should just kill the Spirit here and now, or go along with her game: he chose the latter, he couldn't risk putting the children in more danger than nessecary. With a quick movement of his hand, he sealed his Zanpakuto back in its sheath. Tilting his head upwards towards Dorothy, as he spoke once again, his voice just a tad more composed this time "Well then, what do you want in exchange for them, Spirit? I'll attempt to fulfill your wishes. Though I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll find them heavily unpleasant" She giggles in response. It reminds you of the laughter of a child, and with that comes the memory of you and your students enjoying afternoons outside in this here playground. Yet all you can see around you is destruction. Smoldering craters, toppled trees, the very earth upturned. It looks like a warzone. The sombering feeling that comes thereafter does anything but assuage your own guilt. "Oh you've already given me everything I need. But, I want to enjoy this game a little a longer so I added in this bonus round." Her eyes appraise your expression, enjoying the emotional whirlwind she's putting you through. 'My subordinates have scattered the other four players all across the city by now. And I gave them all a little treat just for you." she exclaims. "I've implanted....Imps in all of them. They burrow into the soul, slowly wrestling control from their hosts. These creatures live only for physical pursuits mind you, gorging themselves on food, sex, and dangerous thrills! Of course the Imp has to live mind you, so they suck the life force right out of their victim, until death, which takes roughly...48 hours. Although for your students....I'd say you have until morning. That is if the Imps don't make them kill themselves first! Of course if you fail, then not only will they die, but more Imps will be born. The perfect tool for sowing mayhem, wouldn't agree?" Her eyes seem to glow for a second, and the image of Kimiko, one of your students erupts in your mind. She was always enthusiastic about birds, and loved the idea of flying. The image however is a horrific parody of her dream, as she stands atop a building, arms spread eagle as she seemingly prepares to leap. The woman tilts her head mockingly as she says, "I suggest you hurry ''Sensei." Luckily being around this city for awhile, Hiroya recognizes the location, its not far from here, only a few miles in the outskirts of the city. Hiroya vanishes in a gust of wind as he hurries onwards to the spot, it takes him but a few steps, as he barely manages to arrive at the location before the girl throws herself off the building. He reaches out with a hand so as to grab the girl, preventing her from falling; his other hand moving towards her back; as he attempts to release but a faint amount of his Reiatsu into her body - this has no effect on her. But the ones within would quickly be erased by its intensity. Just as he expected, the Imp was destroyed almost immediately. But that still leaves three more of your students. The strangest thing was that your students weren't spiritually aware before, so it was odd that you could detect Kimiko long before you found her. Or at least she was before you destroyed the Imp, any trace of reiryoku dissipates along with the Imp. She falls unconcious as the creature is destroyed, whispering your name as she falls asleep. Hiroya makes sure to bring her home to her bed before he hurries onwards. He stops in the park as he kneels down to the ground, he reaches within his robes as he takes out a small pouch of some black powder: he draws a circle, with some odd marks set aside in four separate quadrants, as he begins to recite the incantation of the spell "Heart of the south, eye of the north, finger of the west, foot of the east, arrive with the wind and depart with the rain. Bakudo #58 Kakushitsujiaku!" Hiroya quickly scans through most of his students, aiming to pinpoint those three whom sport Spiritual Power, however minimal. Finding the next student was proving difficult. Somehow they were moving very rapidly, likely on some form of transporation. Only problem is, the one vehicle thats moving that fast is the Shinkansen ("bullet train"). His spiritual energy signature appears to be moving away from your current position. It will take some effort, but Hiroya can catch up to it. Hiroya used Shunpo in order to attempt to catch up to the train, but because of the wounds he had suffered earlier; it was hopeless. Luckily for him though, he knew how to counteract that: Hiroya reached back into his robe as he fumbled around for some moments, taking out three pill-like objects (a personal invention of his that goes under the name of Seishinkusuri (精神薬, Japanese for Mind Pills) he swallows them hastily. Revigorated he catches up with the Bullet Train; he phases right trough the walls of the vehicle (being a Spiritual Being sure had its uses) He detects the presence of his student almost immedeatly; making his way towards the alien signatures of the imps. As he draws closer, Hiroya is recognizes the second students spiritual energy, as Akira. It seems the Imps augment the hosts own energy in some way while it possesses them, as opposed to overlapping its own. Hiroya flickers to the front of the train, as he senses where Akira is or rather was. Upon entering the conductors car, he finds the conductor unconcious, and a bloody bar lying next to him. He appears to have contusions on his legs and scalp, but is otherwise alive, thankfully. But Akira is missing, his energy shows that he's in this location, should be right in front of you....glancing up and renewing his senses, Hiroya discerns that Akira is here, only on top of the train itself. --- Whilst the Shinigami was off continuing with her game, she only had to wait a few moments before Aurora appeared before her. "You certaintly took your time darling. Be a dear and remove these restraints." Dorothy asked. Nodding, Aurora concentrated her spiritual energy, as her form began to waver, shifting back and forth as if over multiple images of her person. She then stepped through the Pentagram, taking hold of Dorothy's hand and led her outside of its realm of influence. "That was surprisingly easy." Dorothy said, obviously surprised by the ease of which Aurora slipped through his spell. "No, it wasn't. Only because he is busy and so far away was I able to resonate with its spiritual frequency. Were he nearby, my powers would have proven ineffective." Aurora replied. Arching an eyebrow, Dorothy's impression of Hiroya rises just a tad bit. While slow-witted, and easily manipulated he was indeed powerful. Evident by their battle, probably moreso than her own. Well no matter, while she may have lost the battle, Dorothy had already won the war. --- Hiroya moves up onto the top of the train; He spots Akira almost immedeatly, the boy seems to be slowly walking towards the front of the train, clumsily attempting to keep himself from falling. Hiroya quickly moves to grasp him before he takes another step: releasing a vague burst of of Reiryoku to quicky dispatch the imps inside, before he hastily moves the boy home. Only to see that the sun has begun to rise, signifying that morning is upon them. Hiroya's face pales as he realizes that he only managed to save two. Hiroya then pulls himself together, so be it, it is nothing that he can do with that now. He'd need allies in this battle. And he had to start looking so that their death wouldn't be in vain. ---- Somewhere in the more questionable parts of Karakura Town was an odd pair, the first was a young girl by the name of Haruhi whom seemed to clumsily walk towards a bar of some sort; she was undouptedly possessed by some imps: And she was being followed by an even odder creature, it looked like an especially ugly dwarf; it had orange skin, its face was covered in warts and other impurities, and it had the nastiest theeth ever recorded in the history of well, nasty theeth. However, the oddest thing of them all were undouptedly the fact that despite the fact that it was obviously a male; he seemed to be wearing a black and white traditional maid gown, of the feminine sort - complete with apron and frilly skirts and the whole package. Boolg as his name would be; was a Bestia of a fairly high class; though by no means powerful, compared to the pesky imps he was almost like the Optimates themselves in terms of sheer power difference. Boolg muttered to himself as he not-so-gracefully danced after the possessed child "Ooh.. Rutilus-sama! If only you could see me now!" Boolg had actually decided to help his master, as he knew how his master hated feeling guilty. Because it was indeed his master whom had assisted the imps in possessing this girl; Boolg sighed softly, when he did this for him. His master would undouptedly look at him as more than just a maid, or a Bestia. Boolg blushed effeminatily as he hurried after the girl, he placed himself between her and the path. As he reached out with his Spirtual Power in order to destroy the imps on the inside, and thus free the child of their influence. ---- The hulking figure lumbers into the dingy nightclub. His horned head is bowed as his blue eyes peer out from under the wide-brimmed hat and sweep across the den of sin. He's not here... ''he loudly inhales the smoky air through his nostrils, practically snorting ''...but he's close. The stench of evil is stronger here. Unable to pinpoint the source of the stench through the cloying cigarette smoke and noisy patrons, he slides a colt out from underneath his leather jacket and fires it into the air. After a moment of stunned silence, the panicked customers flee the nightclub. Their haste leaves broken glasses, overturned tables, and general dissaray in their wake. Within a minute, the mysterious man with the gun is alone in the establishment. The only sounds he can hear are the wirring of the ceiling fans, and an old jukebox playing a recording... and then, a loud crash from the back of the nightclub, beyond the bar. He rushes towards the door and with a hearty kick knocks the obstacle off its hinges. The lights beyond him cast a deep constrast to the shadowy interior. A bouncer lies against the left wall, bleeding and unconcious. His chest and arms are covered in deep bite and claw marks. As the hulking man walks into the darkened room, he's caught by surprise as a pair of glowing red eyes appear on the ceiling above him and a small, livid form lauches at his face. Reflexively, he blocks the creature with his left arm, and it tears through his jacket and loses its grip on him. He kicks out at the thing, but it nimbly rolls out of the way and leaps backwards. Illuminated in the light is the form of a young boy of seven or eight. His lolling tongue is surrounded by a maw of unnaturally jagged teeth, and a pair of ram's horns sweep back behind his head. "Mine! It's all mine!" The man brings the barrel of his .45 colt to bear against the learing figure and fires three times. Two of the bullets go wide as the creature dodges in place, but the third finds its mark. Striking the possessed child in his chest, he's thrown backwards and falls silent. The giant moves forward slowly to inspect the boy, but he hurls a piece of glass into the man's face, catching him by surprise, before crawling up the right wall and through a swinging window. Unperturbed by its seeming escape, Michael Valoel Armstrong slips an articulated slab of metal onto his left forearm and punches through the brick wall. He steps through the breach and a cloud of dust, and appraises the alley beyond. The possessed boy is fleeing the hunter as quickly as his injured body is able, but he can't outrun the bullet that strikes his back. As the second rubber bullet impacts its target, a strange creature exits the unconcious boy's body. Appearing as a cross between a ram and a cockroach, the cat-sized imp tries to fly away, but a third bullet ends his escape and his life. Michael Valoel Armstrong approaches the boy and examines his body. After determining the boy is safe (though bruised), he places the remains of his tattered leather jacket over the boy and returns to his motorcycle. With a cacaphonous rumble, the muscled figure thunders into the night as police arrive on the scene. Epilogue Two figures could be seen walking together under the street lamps as the early morning approached. Aurora had since freed her mistress, recorded the abilities displayed by that Shinigami and cleaned any residual spiritual energy Dorothy may have left. While she didn't doubt her mistresses powers, she did from time to time wonder about her sanity. This was one of them. "Mistress Dorothy, I still think this venture was a wasted effort. Why bother playing mind games with the Shinigami?" Aurora asked. Dorothy peered at her young protégé with her characteristic smile, regarding her contemplatively. She was silent for a moments, before answering. "Because, my short-sighted little darling," She paused, though Aurora could tell it was for purely dramatic effect. "...it is the essence of strategic planning." Aurora was unconvinced, and it must have shone because Dorothy laughed at her expense. "Our first goal is to gather intelligence. Find out who's who in Karakura town. Hiroya-sensei just happened to be our unlucky bait. All we had to do was manipulate him into revealing himself. He mentioned that Soul Society was hunting him no?" Dorothy asked. Aurora nodded in response. "Releasing his Zanpakutou acted as a beacon. Now everyone with any spiritual awareness knows of him and his last known location. Not only that, but they also know that there is someone or something with enough juice to force him into action." said Dorothy. "But why do that? Isn't revealing ourselves bad?" asked Aurora. "Normally yes, but in this case, I had to modify our plan as this ripe opportunity presented itself." Dorothy replied. "You mean, starting a pointless battle, and forcing him to play your game. What about any other hidden forces? What if they try and do something?" "Thats exactly the point. We want them to do something. They'll have to come out of hiding. All we had to was get the pieces moving, with this, it'll be much easier for us to gather valuable information on them. After all knowledge is power!" Dorothy says with a laugh. Realization dawned on Aurora, as she understood the full implications of Dorothy's plan. She nodded in appreciation, but paused momentarily. "It seems Hiroya-sensei failed. He only managed to rescue two of the children." "Oh really? Well thats his loss." "Someone saved the boy at the club. And Boolg seems to have gotten into his head again that he needed to help out Rutilus, and saved the girl." "Isn't that good for though? Didn't you make a pact with her during school? Either way her soul is condemned in end. See, wasn't today productive?" Aurora nodded, as the two continued to walk in silence, slowly drifting into darkness. As the first rays of the sun illuminated the sky, the were gone. --- With the new day at hand, news of a young boy from the Karakura Preschool was found unconcious and in the possession of a large quantity of cocaine, in an ally near a local nightclub. Witnesses are unsure of how the boy got there or acquired the drugs, and the parents have been taken into custody. Karakura's residental Shinkansen was hijacked earlier this morning, by a small boy no less. According to the reports he made it up to the front car, and proceeded to beat the conductor into unconsciousness, but is stable although in critical condition. Witnesses say they saw the boy climb onto the roof of the train, only to fight against some invisible ghost. In other news, Karakura Preschool's playground was found in complete disarray, and from the initial damage reports one of the structures was supposedly wrenched from the ground by someone or something. The Preschool is currently closed down, as the investigation continues. Category:Illuminate Void Category:Njalm2 Category:Fanfiction Category:Roleplay